Dark clouds pressed low across the land, the sky hanging as though it would crush the eaves.
A fine rain fell steadily. In Cuixi County, the wife of the County Deputy Magistrate, Madam Qian, had carried her child for ten months. At last, the time had come.
"Waa—!"
A loud, piercing cry rang out from the birthing room. Madam Sun, waiting outside, immediately broke into a smile. She was a woman past forty, round-faced and tall, dressed in a pale cotton jacket with matching trousers. Her face flushed with excitement as she slapped her thigh and chanted a prayer.
"It’s born! It’s born! Buddha bless me with another grandson!"
"Congratulations, Old Madam!"
The maid Taozi hurried forward to steady her, afraid she might stumble, her words dripping with sweetness as she offered her congratulations. Yet even after all the pleasantries, there was still no further movement from inside, which felt rather strange.
Madam Sun paced to the door, craning her neck to peer inside.
Just then, the door creaked open. Midwife Ma stepped out, holding a swaddled infant wrapped in soft cotton cloth. One hand shielded the bundle from the wind as she said,
"I have delivered countless children in my life, but never have I seen such a beautiful young lady. She looks like a celestial maiden descended from the heavens, a fairy child at the side of the Immortal Lord."
Reluctantly, she passed the baby forward.
But the kindly expression on Madam Sun’s face collapsed instantly. Her smiling eyes widened, deep folds crowding her broad forehead, and the hands she had extended withdrew at once.
"What?"
She stared at Midwife Ma as though doubting her vision.
"I drew a lot before the Buddha, and it said ‘a joyous grandson.’ The Buddha would not deceive a devotee. I even added a full string of coins in incense money! This child was supposed to be a boy—how did it turn into a useless girl? Look again carefully. Don’t make a mistake."
In this world, sons were thought to carry on the ancestral line and incense offerings—the more, the better. Daughters, once grown, married out and became part of another household, little more than a burden. Naturally, fewer were considered preferable.
But Midwife Ma was no ordinary birth attendant. She was officially registered and regularly served in the homes of officials. She knew well that raising a daughter in such families required no less effort than raising a son.
Unless a household lacked sons to uphold its name—only then would they be so desperate.
Yet Madam Qian had already borne a son three years ago. With a grandson already present, why was Madam Sun still so intent on having another?
The midwife recalled the Jiang family’s background. The County Deputy Magistrate had been a provincial graduate who entered office through a supplementary examination. His origins were no secret—he was born to a farming family, raised in the countryside by his widowed mother. Strictly speaking, they could not even be called a scholarly farming household. They were simply villagers.
Only with him did the family produce its first scholar.
In poor rural areas, the drowning of infant girls was not uncommon. The County Deputy Magistrate had been in office barely a year; his mother had not yet shed her rustic ways. Midwife Ma could not help but worry for the infant in her arms. Born into a household that treasured sons like jewels and treated daughters like grass—who knew what hardships awaited her?
When the midwife hesitated, Madam Sun grew impatient. She stepped forward and pulled open the swaddling cloth.
At that very moment, the clouds parted, and sunlight burst forth in radiant beams, piercing through the thinning sky and pouring down upon the earth.
Within the swaddling cloth lay an infant with crescent-shaped brows, a face like polished jade, hair black as ink, and an expression of pure innocence. The light draped over her like gauze, as though heaven itself favored her alone.
Madam Sun was finally convinced. Newborns were usually wrinkled and red—she had never seen a child so beautiful.
Before she knew it, the baby was already securely in her arms.
【Age 0: You are born. You have obtained a heavenly opportunity. Current Appearance ×3. Wow! You are an extremely beautiful child—no one who sees you can remain unmoved.】
Miss Player: ???
If she hadn’t just witnessed the system’s logic firsthand, she might have believed that nonsense about a “heavenly opportunity.” Still, she had no reason to complain—she had clearly benefited.
Her current Appearance was only 6, but on a ten-point scale, that was already a passing score.
In her previous run, she had raised it to 8, making her exceptionally beautiful within the county.
Maxing out Appearance at 10 was not difficult, and many players chose to do so. Their characters became stunning in different ways—each one easily among the most beautiful in the real world.
Miss Player had trusted Simulated Life’s aesthetics and had never imagined Appearance could go beyond that.
Yet now, due to a bug, her Appearance had reached 18.
This was no minor improvement. What she would grow into was impossible to predict—but it had certainly surpassed human limits.
The game panel appeared again as a translucent screen. Though she was an infant, Miss Player could clearly read the text, while those around her remained unaware of its existence.
【Growth Task (1): A newborn is extremely fragile and requires sufficient care to grow healthily. Please choose your caretaker.
A. The grandmother before you
B. The grandfather in the underworld
C. The stray dog outside】
Miss Player: ???
Simulated Life tasks always came with choices—that was part of its “high freedom.”
But triggering a task at birth—wasn’t that absurd?
She was a newborn! She couldn’t even control her own bodily functions. How was she supposed to complete a task?
Worse still, none of the options seemed viable. No wonder a bug had occurred.
If she still didn’t realize that Morality affected not just task freedom but also difficulty, she would truly be a fool.
But it was too late for regret. Choosing B meant immediate death; choosing C meant starting a third run.
She could only choose A.
Once the choice was made, she would have to ensure she was raised by her grandmother to complete the task.
Every task in Simulated Life granted a reward—a Reward Pouch, which could yield points, skills, or items at random. The rewards were generous.
Though newborns should not have normal vision, this was a game. Since she could see the panel, she could also see the person holding her.
A woman in her forties, strong and vigorous, looked down at her—it was her grandmother, Madam Sun.
In the real world, she would be considered in her prime. In the game, she was an old matron who constantly called her a “useless girl.” In the previous life, she had never once held her.
Not only that, Madam Sun had repeatedly suggested giving her away, complaining she consumed food and resources for nothing.
Was this change because of her high Appearance?
No matter the reason, Miss Player had to seize this opportunity.
The birthing room door opened again. This time, a stout, well-dressed woman stepped out—it was Madam Zhang, Madam Sun’s in-law and Miss Player’s maternal grandmother.
She carefully closed the door behind her to keep out the cold wind, then walked over with a smile.
"Thanks to your virtue and upright presence, the birth spirits dared not cause trouble. The delivery went smoothly—both mother and daughter are safe."
Madam Sun reluctantly tore her gaze from the baby.
"It has nothing to do with me. It’s my son’s official authority protecting the house—blessings from the Emperor. In-law, you bore three sons. I thought your daughter might be like you."
She sighed.
"How did this one turn out to be a girl?"
Madam Zhang heard the disdain in her tone but forced herself to remain calm.
"A son and a daughter make a perfect pair."
Madam Sun rolled her eyes.
"What’s so perfect about that? Another mouth to waste grain on. If I gave her to your family, would you take her?"
Their eyes met.
Madam Zhang thought, Could she truly mean it?
It would not be impossible. Her family was prosperous—raising one more granddaughter would be nothing. Besides, the child was as lovely as a celestial being. She adored her already.
She said at once, "Of course I would. Give her to me."
She took the baby from Madam Sun, gently touching the child’s delicate face, smiling involuntarily.
But just as her expression softened, the baby’s lips quivered—and she began to cry, soft and plaintive like a kitten.
Madam Zhang hurried to soothe her.
"My dear, I’m your grandmother."
But the baby only cried harder, her face turning red, her tiny hands flailing helplessly. Even Midwife Ma felt a pang of concern.
"Is the young miss hungry?"
Madam Zhang quickly carried the baby back into the birthing room. Madam Qian, still weak from childbirth, was awakened. Seeing the child brought to her, she understood and prepared to nurse.
But the infant turned her head away, refusing the breast. Even when forced, she would not suck, only pushing it out with her tongue.
After a struggle, the baby’s cries grew hoarse. Her flushed face gradually turned bluish, her lips losing all color.
Anyone who saw it would feel alarmed—if this continued, something would surely go wrong.
Madam Qian was at a loss. Madam Zhang ordered, "Quickly, go fetch a doctor!"
Consulting a doctor meant fees—consultation and medicine alike. Madam Sun already felt the sting.
She pushed forward and picked up the baby.
"A newborn that won’t drink milk—just give her some water."
Only then did Madam Zhang and her daughter realize Madam Sun had entered. As a daughter-in-law, Madam Qian could not object and instead gave her mother a look.
This was not the time to be frugal. Madam Zhang thought the same.
Unexpectedly, Madam Sun scooped a few drops of water with a wooden spoon and pressed it gently against the baby’s lower lip.
The baby did not choke. Her pale lips regained color, the bluish tinge fading.
She stopped crying.
Madam Sun bent to put her down.
The moment the baby left her arms, she burst into tears again, her fair face flushing red.
"Waa—!"
Madam Sun picked her up again and coaxed, "Don’t cry, be good."
The baby hiccupped—and immediately stopped crying.
Midwife Ma chuckled. "Has the young miss mistaken her mother?"
"Girls can’t compare to boys in cleverness. She doesn’t even recognize her own mother."
Madam Sun clicked her tongue.
"Newborns fall asleep quickly. When she does, I’ll quietly put her down. She’ll smell the milk and find the right person."
A quarter of an hour passed.
The baby did not sleep.
Madam Sun’s arms grew sore.
A maid jingled a rattle before the baby, but she ignored it completely, her mind elsewhere.
Madam Sun tried to put her down again.
The baby cried immediately.
Meeting those grape-like eyes, Madam Sun found herself unable to walk away. She picked her up once more.
Half an hour passed.
The baby happily poked her own cheek, showing no sign of sleepiness.
Madam Sun: "…"
In the end, she carried the baby away with her.
……
Inside the birthing room, Madam Zhang peered out the window and saw Taozi discreetly paying Midwife Ma. Only then did she relax.
She rubbed her hands and her tired eyes.
"I was afraid your mother-in-law might refuse to pay since it wasn’t a boy. I didn’t expect her to be generous this time and give the full gratuity."
Midwife Ma was officially registered. Ordinary commoners could not hire her.
Better to offend a gentleman than a petty person—if she spread even a few unfavorable words about the County Deputy Magistrate, it would be Madam Qian’s reputation that suffered.
Madam Zhang sat down, then noticed her daughter quietly wiping tears.
"You’ve given birth before—how can you cry after childbirth? Do you want to ruin your eyes?"
"Mother… I feel bitter. Both my children belong to my mother-in-law. I raised Jingxing myself for a year—at least he knows I’m his mother. But this one… aside from carrying her for ten months and suffering the pain of birth, she has nothing to do with me."
Jiang Jingxing had been her first child. She raised him personally until he was a year old—then Madam Sun took him away, claiming that as the eldest grandson, he should be raised by her.
The reasoning was simple: once the first child was grown, Madam Qian could step aside and continue bearing children for the Jiang family.
That was how this second pregnancy had come about.
Madam Zhang gently wiped her daughter’s tears, cursing inwardly, but spoke softly.
"Your mother-in-law knows how to raise children. Everyone knows your husband was born prematurely and weak, yet under her care he grew as strong as any full-term child and even rose through the examinations. It’s not a bad thing for the child to be raised by her."
"Besides, this one is a girl. It’s better she has some affection from her grandmother than none at all."
She paused, then added,
"You should worry less about her taking the girl—and more about her finding it too troublesome and sending her back after a few days."
The child was born full-term, yet seemed frail.
There was an old saying: those too brilliant suffer, those too deeply loved do not live long. With such extraordinary beauty, raising her would not be easy.
Madam Zhang, for all her complaints, trusted Madam Sun’s ability in child-rearing.
Madam Qian, unaware of her mother’s deeper worries, was reassured.
While she still had some strength, she called in her maid.
"Bring in the wet nurse we selected earlier."